


Communion

by Jaspen



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Hoshido | Birthright Route, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-16 16:53:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13640421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaspen/pseuds/Jaspen
Summary: Noontime was nearing, and Leon felt the tension like a thick curtain as his sister led him to where he was to be seated for the ceremony. She has asked over dinner about what would happen if Prince Ryouma didn't return in time, about what they would have to do. He hadn't seen hide nor hair of the royals since then, but Camilla was doing her best to keep his mind occupied from what Hinoka had told them. Kamui didn't seem all that keen on accepting the enthronement in his brother's place. Leon, honestly, didn't blame him.Leon experiences the Hoshidan Enthronement Ceremony, and all the politics that comes with it.





	Communion

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NebulousDream](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NebulousDream/gifts).



It was unlike Leon to let his nerves get the better of him; and yet here he was, on his way to the bridge spanning the Infinite Chasm that separated their two great countries, internally going over more than enough mental checklists to last him a lifetime. Luggage, check, formal clothing, check, tomes for both learning and leisure, check, retainers--

“ _Psst, Zero,_ ” for all his attempts at being quiet, Odin was painfully loud. He was outside the carriage, settled next to the driver, most likely unaware that Leon could hear every word he said clearly and without strain.

“Yes Odin, what is it,” Zero sighed, not attempting to change his tone to match the mage. He sounded like he always did when he spoke with Odin, which gave off the vibe that he was humoring him.

“ _I worry Lord Leon has been plagued by a curse most foul,_ ” Odin continued to not really whisper. “ _He has not slept, his meals were taken late into the night-- it's like he's been taken over by a demon!_ ” For what it was worth, the talk of his own possession nearly made him balk. The very notion was ridiculous; but at least he wasn't running through anymore checklists.

“I'd be anxious too if I were riding practically defenseless into enemy-- Oh excuse me, _former_ enemy territory,” Zero's sarcasm didn't drip, so they must be at the bridge. He heard Odin take up his most grandiose voice to present the Hoshidan border patrol with their mission, and he could feel his anxiety wash away. Odin-- or maybe just the frivolity of his antics-- always had a way of bringing him back to focus without meaning too.

A Hoshidan face peaked through the carriage window. Leon waved his fingers at him a little bit, his expression betraying nothing but the easy indifference he'd cultivated his political mask into. The man jumped, and was away in an instant, clearly going to check their luggage for anything that might be deemed suspicious. He understood the mistrust of the Hoshidan people, really he did; but understanding something and being annoyed with it were two completely separate matters. He could handle it, of course, the Nohrian court was nothing _but_ mistrust. Hell, he wouldn't doubt the only reason he'd been able to even attend was because of six insistent handwritten invitations; only half of which Zero had likely used as their documentation into the country.

His musings were interrupted by the knickerings of a horse, and the carriage started moving once more. Honestly, he'd have preferred to have Widogast with him, but the steed was too proud to let anyone other than Leon himself ride him. He had enough trouble getting the stubborn thing to not bite his retainers every five seconds; making him pull a cart would have been impossible.

“I suppose you have a point,” Odin sighed once they were out of earshot, clearly disappointed. Zero chuckled at him, and even if he wasn't directly next to the two, he could almost feel a sense of normalcy. It was comforting, in a way, and without much thought to it, he found himself drifting. They still had an entire day and a half before they reached the capital, and all his light reading had been finished hours ago. A small nap couldn't hurt.

“Cheer up, Odin, I'm sure there will be plenty of Hoshidan mages there for you to become more _intimate_ with.”

“You think so?! My dark friend, I hope you're right!”

“What did you just call me?”

“Oh this is so cool!!”

\----------

Excluding the underlying sense of his every step being watched itching at the back of his mind, Leon thought Shirasagi City was rather enjoyable. The people were so much more energetic and clearly curious if all the faces he saw as he peeked through the windows of the carriage meant anything. He wasn't shy by any means, but he could feel a note of anxiety, and made quick work of it by closing the violet curtains. They were thin, so the light still shone through, but at least no one could see him anymore. He took intense mental notes on the differences between scathingly judgmental gazes and those of innocent curiosity to take his mind off things.

The second they were behind castle walls, he breathed a sigh of relief he hadn't even been aware he was holding. The hustle and bustle of big city life faded into the distance, and he allowed himself to look out at the landscape again. It was simply amazing how easily things grew here, so marvelous that his curiosity had jumped to attention as soon as the native flora and fauna of the nutrient-rich Hoshidan soil came into view. If they weren't on a time schedule, he would have told Zero to stop the carriage so he could collect samples.

The carriage came to a rolling stop, and Leon wasted no time stepping out and into the sunlight to stretch his legs. The carriage wasn't crampt by any means, but sitting still for so long was starting to put half his body to sleep. “My lord!” Odin cried as he hopped down from his perch, literally leapt down from a full standing position on the seat like a damn lunatic. The carriage shook, the horse made a noise of discomfort, and Odin, at least, had the decency to look apologetic for startling the animal before going back to his usual enthusiasm. “Was your trip well? You didn't succumb to boredom, did you? Not that I could blame you, with the great Sorcerer Odin Dark, protecting you, master of all things--”

“Dark, right?” Zero cut him off, landing in the dirt next to him and unhooking the reigns from the cart. “Not to worry, Odin, I'm sure if he'd gotten _too_ bored he would have called me in to keep him company~”

“You're both ridiculous,” he said with a roll of the eyes, and before he could blink, he was spun and his face was pulled into something very... soft.

“Oh Leon, you've made it safely!” Camilla crooned, holding him tight and he allowed her this, allowed both of them this, before easing her off of him so he could breathe. She always had been rather good at shoving his face in her cleavage at just the right angle to make breathing more difficult than it really needed to be. In retrospect he'd heard her footsteps through the grass as easily has he had her heels on the stone floors back at castle Krackenburg. The step and cadence were the same, just the sound itself had been replaced. The grass didn't crunch as much here.

The biggest difference was that she was shorter, and before even assuming it was because he'd grown any since they'd last seen each other, he looked down to see her feet lacking their usual heel. She was wearing a pair of those Hoshidan style sandals, and even with the added two inches, it wasn't the stilettos she wore back home. “They're called _geta_ ,” she said, lips moving about the unfamiliar word as if she wasn't quite sure she was saying it correctly, but had said it enough times to know it wasn't entirely wrong, before hugging him again. “Oh I missed you so much!”

“I missed you too, Camilla,” he murmured, squeezing back before pulling away. If this were a normal situation, he'd tease her about straying from home, about her duties as a princess, as the role she had to maintain. But Father wasn't around anymore, and Leon wasn't going to begrudge her slipping from the limelight of Nohrian court life. Especially now. “I hope your time here has been well spent?”

“I am learning so much,” she smiled, nodding to his retainers before taking his hand and leading him to gods knows where. He caught a flash of red and blue and heard Odin start to prattle loudly, so he supposed Camilla's retainers were going to help them get their horses squared away. A quick glance at them over his shoulder showed there were two others, one with hair almost as vibrant as Luna's and a man whose hair stuck out in all directions. Castle staff, probably more than that. He couldn't quite place where he might have seen them before Camilla took hold of his attention once more.

“There is so much to show you, Leon, I don't know where to start! There's the gardens, the open fields, the forests-- they're nothing like the ones back home. I've run across more wildlife than I think I've ever seen in one place right in this back yard! Oh, and there's this large tree way out into the distance-- you can see where it splits from the forest canopy from one of the upper floors, I think-- and right over there are where most of the guests stay. You wouldn't believe how often the nobles visit! They keep challenging Prince Ryouma and he just keeps accepting them; I'm not sure how Kamui deals with it. Oh! And Hi-kun's been so gracious to me, showing me everything, helping me with the language and--”

“Wait, ‘Hi-kun'?” He interjected. She blinked a moment, then giggled again. Honestly, seeing her so carefree was more refreshing after his long trip than it had any right to be.

“A nickname I made for Princess Hinoka. You know, eldest sister, red hair, flat chest?”

He nearly tripped over his own boots at the sudden turn in conversation. “W-why would I notice something like--!”

“Well you wouldn't, normally, but since she's quite boyish, I thought she might seem cuter to you,” she shrugged nonchalantly, a playful glimmer in her eye. Dear gods, she was teasing him! He'd been used to this once, but he'd been out of his sister's presence so long, her playful mannerisms were no longer something he could just bat an eyelash at and be done with. He was mortified, and he could already feel his face heating up. His only reprieve was that none of the people in their vicinity could speak Nohrian. Hopefully.

“ _Camilla-san!!_ ”

They both turned at the sound of his sister's name coming from the distance, the sky lit up in wonderful shades of orange and red sunset as Princess Hinoka came flying in on her Pegasus. She landed with a gallop, slowing to a trot as she neared. She didn't dismount when she noticed him, but she did bow her head in acknowledgement. “King Leon, it's good to see you've arrived. There wasn't too much trouble at the borders, was there?”

“Princess Hinoka,” Leon did his best to imitate her bow. He knew it was a greeting; had read all about it and other Hoshidan customs in the foreign policies texts he'd found in his newly relocated study in preparation for this trip. “I'm happy to say my trip was uneventful. My sister isn't causing you too many problems, I hope?”

“Not at all,” Princess Hinoka smiled with a shake of her head. “A lot of the people have really taken a shine to her, and her open manner has really helped smooth over some of the worries of the Hoshidan public. Speaking of, Camilla-san,” she turned her attention to his sister, running her fingers through her pegasus' mane with a gentle tug. The mare settled noiselessly, agitation slipping from its stance. Leon wondered for half a second if Hoshidan horses were always so jittery. Maybe the fact that they could fly made them more like birds. “Mina-chan's class should be ending soon. I can go get her myself if you'd rather stay and visit with your brother.”

“Don't change your plans on my account,” Leon interjected, his hands folded behind his back. “I need to get settled anyway. I'm sure there will be plenty to talk about over supper.”

Camilla hugged him tightly, promising to tell him all about her time there later that evening, before settling herself expertly behind Hinoka on the pegasus. He watched them fly off, saw the excitement in his sister's eyes, and wondered how long it would take for them to allow wyverns across borders. He was sure she missed Weichlieb just as much as the wyvern missed her.

Zero was waiting for him when he turned, looking more agitated then Leon had ever seen him. The redhead standing next to him, looked only vaguely smug, which left Leon curious, more than anything. Very little could get underneath Zero's skin but whatever conversation they had been having seemed to be an exception.

“Pleased to meet you, my name is Tsubaki,” he said with a bow. His standard was impeccable, not even a trace of an accent to his words. Zero looked miffed. “Your steed is being sheltered, and your things are en route to the quarters where you will be staying. We can go to there now, if you would like.”

“Thank you, but I do believe I should speak with Prince Ryouma before I make myself comfortable,” mostly because even with being stationary for the three days straight, the fatigue would hit him hard as soon as there was a bed available to him.

“Unfortunately, Lord Ryouma is unavailable at the moment. Urgent matters have pulled him away from the castle.”

“What could have possibly--”

“Zero,” His retainer shut his mouth immediately, but his arms were crossed defiantly over his chest. It wasn't that his comment wasn't valid, just not as diplomatic as Leon wanted to be in front of someone he only vaguely remembered from the battlefield. “In that case, bring me to Prince Takumi.”

“Of course,” he bowed again. “Right this way.”

They were led to a selection of gardens, filled to the brim with flowers, decorated with fountains, and with pathways that wove between the two features. The flowers were all so different, and colorful. He could imagine Elise spending hours here.

“Here we are,” Tsubaki said, making no move to enter the gardens. “The Southern gardens.”

“Thank you, Tsubaki. I will find him on my own from here.”

“Are you sure, Lord Leon? The gardens are rather maze-like in their construction. Getting lost here is something of a pastime.”

“ _His Highness_ can figure out a simple maze without any assistance, thank you,” Zero growled, and Leon had to hold back from outwardly sighing.

“The warning is appreciated, but I am rather adept at solving puzzles. If I don't return in two hours time, feel free to search me out.”

“Very well, your Grace. I bid you good evening.”

Tsubaki stopped talking, and Leon grabbed Zero by the sleeve, pulling him inside the maze before he could say anything else. They walked in thick silence for several minutes before Leon slowed his pace, and allowed Zero to walk without guidance. “What got into you back there?”

“He made a slight on your authority, milord, I only wished to show him who he was speaking to.”

“I highly doubt it was intentional.”

“A man that well read in a language not his own knows how to use his words, milord.”

“I suppose I don't then, if you feel the need to jump at my defense so readily?”

“Not at all milord, it--” He sighed, and the tension drained from him, but not completely. It was still there, settled beneath his calm like an agile cat awaiting its prey. “I'm not quite sure why I dislike that guy so much.”

“Whatever the case, be civil while we're here. We just ended the war, we don't need to give the Hoshidans any reason to start another one.”

“Yes, Milord.”

“Good. Now stick close. If I had any confidence in your ability to navigate this place, I'd send you to Odin, but as it were you'll just get lost going in circles.”

“Stick close? Why, you only had to ask~”

He felt hot breath on the back of his ear, and pushed the man away with a growl. “Not that close!” Zero chuckled, and Leon pushed on ahead, focused on getting rid of the heat the sudden proximity had brought him. Well, at least Zero was feeling better.

Navigating the maze was lot harder than one of the ones at home, simply because everything was structured so differently. Almost every split had multiple paths, and there were so many repeating sections of flowers, after the first dozen turns he could barely keep track of where he had been. There seemed to be some sort of pattern, but every moment he thought he had a grasp on it, he would catch wind and everything would unravel. “I could have sworn I'd seen this section of flowers before,” He murmured after a minute, before shaking his head. He probably had. “Does this look familiar to you, Zero?” He was met with silence, and was more surprised by his lack of surprise, than the fact that his retainer was missing.

“Great,” He murmured to himself, the Nohrian on his lips a comfort in such an unfamiliar environment. Not for the first time, he wondered if Tsubaki really would come in after them if they didn't return by the second hour. “I wonder if the animals Camilla was telling me about will eat my corpse if I die here.”

“ _Chotto matte_ , Leon?”

He perked up at the mention of his name, looking around for the source of it. “Takumi?” He called out to the other prince, hoping he'd be seen, or at least heard.

“Up here!” Leon stopped in his tracks and looked up, seeing Takumi peeking down from the thick foliage of a tree. The angle suggested this was impossible, but he didn't quite know the stability of Hoshidan flora. The boy smiled at him before returning to the tree, and falling to the ground from it's branches, landing easily on his feet. He wasn't wearing his war clothing, which made sense-- but Leon had never seen him in anything else, so it was a surprise to see the entire right half of his torso bare to the elements. It certainly looked cooler than the travel cloak he was wearing; and the more formal casual wear he had on underneath that.

Takumi clapped a hand on his back in greeting. “It's good to see you made it in once piece,” he said, and Leon felt himself relax just a little. Their friendship was still new, but surprisingly easy; which lifted a lot of his worries as far as this treaty went. Takumi had mentioned in his last letter that he had been reading up on politics in preparation for when the war was over, and that he was researching farming techniques that might help Nohr with its lack of growth. That sort of help would do a lot to bridge the gaps between the two nations now that Leon was effectively flying solo.

“I'm glad to finally be out of that carriage,” he said back. “I felt like my legs were going to fall off halfway here.”

“What, didn't bring your persnickety horse?”

“The journey he can handle just fine, it's his attitude that doesn't agree with anything,” they shared a laugh between them, before Takumi turned in the direction Leon had just come.

“You got lost, right? C'mon, I can get us out of here, but navigating in the dark is difficult without a lantern.”

“Zero managed to separate from me some point along the path.”

“Which one is that? I've never formally met them, and for all your stuffy writing, you never go into detail about them physically.”

“Not the yellow one.”

“Hm. Well, his hair should make him easy enough to spot from above if we don't find him on the way out.”

Which was good, because they hadn't found hide nor hair of Zero once they'd exited the maze. Takumi had alerted someone, and after a few moments, a pegasus could be seen circling overhead.

“So, I heard Prince Ryouma is away on urgent business.”

Takumi sighed at that, before rubbing the back of his neck with annoyance. “Yeah, something like that.”

“I'm surprised someone else didn't take care of it, what with the coronation in two days.”

“That's why it's so urgent,” Takumi said, letting the silence stretch half a minute before continuing. “Someone challenged him this morning out of the blue. Set the location to right inside our northern borders.”

“Why not just ignore it?”

“... Pride? is everything out here,” Takumi stumbled on his words a minute before shrugging. “If he doesn't answer the summons, then the challenger can say anything he wants in regards to nii-san's cowardice and competence. The emperor has an entourage just about everywhere he goes. ‘You only answered my challenge because your authority ensures you'll win! You wouldn't have stood a chance if you had come by yourself!', something to that effect, so pre-crowning challenges are a cultural importance. But being late to your own coronation is bad to.”

“Will he make it back in time?”

Takumi snorted. “He'd better. Yuugiri-san took him, and her kinshi's the fastest there is,” He was smiling, which was good, because if Takumi had nothing to worry about, than neither did he. Not that he even had anything to be worried about in the first place, however, it was concerning for the next in line to miss their formal rise to the throne. But that didn't matter right now. Instead, he set his mind towards focusing on other things; like Tsubaki carrying a disgruntled Zero out of the maze on his pegasus.

\----------

Supper was a simple affair. He ate with the royal family and his sister, while he assumed Zero and Odin ate with Luna and Berka, or with the other castle staff. He tried miso for the first time at Takumi's insistence, and while clearly made for a different ethnic pallet, it was quite tasty. His sister told him all about her adventures in Hoshido, from the Shirasagi school children that had grown fond of her, to all her blunders in trying to learn a very different language to what she was used to. “The basics are rather straightforward,” she told him. “But I'm still rather new to learning. Hi-kun makes a marvelous teacher!” Princess Hinoka mumbled something in Hoshidan that he didn't quite catch, followed up by Takumi snickering something which earned him a smack to the back of the head. The only context Leon had was her embarrassed flush of color.

He didn't last very much longer after that, the fatigue of his journey stabbing at him with incredibly efficiency. He bid the three attending Hoshidans goodnight, and was ushered off by Camilla to his rooms. He'd expected her to talk some more, but she was pleasantly silent, her arm looped in his as they walked the quiet halls of Shirasagi Castle. It was pleasantly dark, too, but not as dark as Castle Krackenburg at night, with just the moonlight to cast its glow upon them. His room wasn't far from his sister's, likely at her own insistence, which meant they occupies one of the Castle's ground floor rooms.

“How are things?” Camilla asked as they entered. He took stock of his room for the next few days, taking note of the ornately decorated folding screen, and the small clothing chest settled next to his luggage. He'd have to inquire as to how they slept, because he didn't see a bed anywhere, and it hadn't occurred to him to research this particular aspect of his trip as well.

“As one would expect,” Leon said, going about loosening his ascot. He didn't have much place to put it, and he loathe just throwing his clothes to the floor, so he folded it and set it on the small table in the center of the room. He never thought he'd miss chairs so much. “The people still don't trust the royal family enough to give me any leeway. They are in the right, of course, following father's track record, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating.”

“How are they taking the truce?”

“It's hard to tell. I haven't had any assassination attempts, but that could just be because of Krackenburg's increased defenses,” Things were silent for a while, Leon changing into his pajamas, Camilla doing who knows what on the other side of the folding screen. “The army has thinned out, but what's left I really believe I can trust. They're all dedicated to helping Nohr get back up on her feet. It will be hard, but I believe we have a fighting chance.”

He stepped out from behind the screen to see Camilla had put down a mattress and pillow onto the floor, and was smoothing a blanket out on top of it. Leon honestly didn't know why he was surprised. They didn't have chairs like he was used to, so beds weren't going to be four poster and stuffed with feathers. “Is that my bed?”

“It's called a _futon_.” She told him. “Well, the whole thing is, the mattress and blanket are called something completely different when separate,” She sat at it's edge, her feet tucked up under her as she smoothed out the... well, he was going to call it a blanket. “I'm... glad you've been able to do all these things without too much trouble,” she said after a moment. He took a breath to keep himself from interrupting and waited for her to finish. “If I had stayed... I don't know if I could have, after...”

“I don't fault you for leaving, Camilla,” he said, taking a seat next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Without her armor, without her height, she seemed so small. He was glad she had come here. He didn't know if he'd have been able to protect her as much as she would have needed if she had stayed in Nohr. “Xander and Elise... losing them hit you harder than most. I couldn't throw you to the courts after that and expect you to come out unscathed.”

“You are grieving properly, aren't you?” She asked him, leaning into his shoulder, and allowing him to put his arm around her. “I wasn't the only one hit hard by this, you know.”

“I do, and I... ” he pursed his lips, thinking hard on the topic. “Perhaps I'm not expressing it in the best of manners, but I'm not bottling it up. I can't, really, Zero and Odin won't let me, no matter how many times I tell them to leave me alone.”

Camilla laughed, and he found himself smiling. The air was starting to thin with relief. “I always did approve of them.”

“You've tried to behead them both on numerous occasions.”

“Only a little. If I could take them out so easily, then how can they protect you from all the terrible people out in this world?”

“You're ridiculous,” he rolled his eyes, followed by a yawn.

“I should let you sleep,” his sister smiled at him, kissing his cheek as she stood to go. “I'm right down the hall. Come to me if you need anything, alright?” She waved her fingers at him, a silent bid for pleasant dreams, before sliding the paper door shut. He heard her walking off, her shadow disappearing from his vision. Once there wasn't anyone there to keep his mind occupied, the tire seemed almost too much to bear. With a sigh, he slipped underneath the blanket, shifting a bit to find a comfortable spot, before sleep took him, his eyes falling shut and pulling him away from the waking world with little consequence.

\----------

Ryouma didn't arrive the next day, like Leon had expected. Instead, who arrived was a very tired Kamui, who needed to get some things filed away before “shit hits the fan”. He'd never in his whole life heard his brother curse, least of all so casually, but his demeanor changed from chagrined to delighted when he caught sight of Leon settled next to Takumi in the extensive Hoshidan library. They'd been going over some of the notes Takumi had taken regarding foreign policies, and the middle Prince of Hoshido had just walked in, Kaze trailing behind him.

“Leon!” He'd smiled bright, and Leon felt his heart tighten at the sheer relief in Kamui's disposition. There had been a time when he'd been resolved to kill him for treason-- well, he'd been resolved to fake it until he made it. He thought for a moment how glad he was he had never gotten the chance to truly go through with it, before focusing back on the now. They exchanged pleasantries, talked of his trip, of the things he was doing in Nohr, of the people who were still supporting him.

“I hope the nobility isn't causing you too much trouble,” Kamui said after hugging him tightly. He had never been one for physical displays of affection, so it meant a lot to Leon that he would be pulled into such a tight embrace. “I didn't get to really meet any of them, but from what Camilla's told me, they aren't all that pleasant.”

“They aren't,” He agreed. “They're terrible people who care more about their lifestyles than they do the good of the country. Their kids, however, seem at least open to my suggestions. And far more capable in discussions then they are.”

Kamui laughed at that. “Seems like it's about time for the newer generation to take hold,” Leon agreed completely; if it weren't for the strict need to follow his own laws and be an example, he would have gotten rid of those thorns months ago. But that wasn't how trust was built, and he had to do this right if he was going to do it at all. “How is everyone?” Kamui asked, pulling him from his thoughts.

“Better,” he said, though his tone betrayed the difficulties they were still facing. “Silas has been a great help in reforming the Nohrian Army. A bit inexperienced, but he really connects with the troops.”

“I knew he would,” Kamui smiled. “He's a dedicated soldier. I'm glad he followed my suggestion to return to Nohr,” There was a pause where the conversation had a natural lull, and Leon could see words dancing on the tip of Kamui's tongue, looking for a way out. He licked his lips, and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a gentle tap on his shoulder.

“Ahhh!” He screamed, jumping where he stood, and glaring at his retainer when the man chuckled a little bit. “Kaze!”

“My apologies, Kamui-sama, but I've retrieved the texts you require.”

“Oh,” he looked at the books, and scrolls in Kaze's arms, before turning his attention back to Leon. “It seems duty calls. Perhaps we can talk more after dinner?”

“Of course, Kamui,” he nodded, noticing the release of tension in Kamui's shoulders. He really needed to see someone about all that anxiety. They'd already talked about this, so why was Kamui still taking on the guilt he need not feel?

Kamui ruffled Takumi's hair before leaving, causing the prince to squawk in annoyance before calling Leon over in irritation to share with him something else he'd managed to translate into standard. It was funny to watch Takumi get so worked up, and ended up being quite the afternoon distraction, all things considered.

When evening came, and there was no sign of the Crown Prince, Leon's natural suspicion had started to show itself. He was jittery all throughout supper, though only Camilla noticed; and when his retainers stopped by his quarters to wish him goodnight, they stayed half an hour too long, causing him all sorts of grief. It had worked, he supposed-- he fell asleep without any issue, too exhausted from their antics to brood any longer. It was the next day, when he was awake, and preparing for the noontime celebration, that there was really no denying his anxiety was becoming somewhat of a problem.

“Drink your tea, would you?” Zero said from where he stood just inside the doorframe. He was deliberately being quiet, soas to not be heard by Camilla a room or so over. They could hear her and her retainers from here, and Luna was the only one burdened by a naturally loud disposition. “Your hands are shaking. I can see you quiver from over here.”

“No you can't,” he retorted, but he still folded his arms across his chest in attempt to hide his nerves. He could ignore it like this, but if he picked up the cup he'd have to acknowledge his current inability to calm down.

“Whatever you say, milord,” he said, moving his gaze to just over him, watching the castle bustle about in preparation for the celebration. They could see things being moved and set up out in the expansive fields of the palace, some sort of rural buildings. “Though if I may, I don't remember your nerves acting up like this at your own coronation.”  
Leon didn't have a response to that, so he didn't say anything. All he wanted to do was to stop running through checklists in his head, but it was the only thing distracting from his biggest problem by far.

Slacks, check; dress shirt, check; vest, check; ascot, check; cufflinks, check; shoes-- well, his shoes were somewhere else, but he'd pass by them on their way to the hall the ceremony was going to be held in, he'd put them on then--

His hand was bat away from the pendant he wore around his neck, dark fingers wrapping around it and pulling it higher so Zero could inspect it with his good eye. “You've been fiddling with this thing for months now,” he mumbled, and Leon was cursing his own unconscious actions. He knew he took it out occasionally to look at, but he didn't know he'd made a habit out of it. “Always when you're stressed. You were doing it last night too...” It wasn't anything flashy, a simple wooden pendant carved into the shape of a many petaled flower and painted red and gold on white to form the flower petals. _Helichrysum_ he heard Elise say in his head.

Zero didn't need to speak for Leon to know his question. He hadn't had the flower long, and the clues weren't all that hard to put together. “Milord, you're blushing,”

“We should get going,” he said, brushing out the imaginary wrinkles in his clothes and ignoring the absolutely delighted look his retainer had all over his face.

“But then, If I got a gift from someone I was enamored with I'd be a little shy about it myself.”

“The ceremony will be starting soon,” Leon didn't need to turn to hear the smile in his retainer's voice. “I'm not going to be late because you insist on being impossible.”

“As you wish, milord, just do make sure you use protection, hm~?”

He sighed in aggravated frustration before storming out. He had to get all of this under control before any Hoshidans managed to catch him like this. He ignored his sister's giggling and hoped she would keep her curiosity contained until much much later.

\----------

Noontime was nearing, and Leon felt the tension like a thick curtain as his sister led him to where he was to be seated for the ceremony. She has asked over dinner about what would happen if Prince Ryouma didn't return in time, about what they would have to do. He hadn't seen hide nor hair of the royals since then, but Camilla was doing her best to keep his mind occupied from what Hinoka had told them. Kamui didn't seem all that keen on accepting the enthronement in his brother's place. Leon, honestly, didn't blame him.

Camilla talked about all sorts of things, from pointing things out and their usage, to chattering about how lovely the weather was today; it was enough of a distraction to get him focusing on other things. There were stands in which they were to be seated, alongside their retainers and other officials from other places that had been invited to the celebration. He saw an assortment of peoples he could only guess at their origins, but he wouldn't have a chance to talk to them until later. He and his sister had been seated away from the other foreigners, and with what rubbed him as the more upper class of Hoshido's people.

“They practiced this once,” Camilla told him as they settled in their seats. Odin waved at him before Zero nudged him and they went back to their jobs of casually judging everyone for possible threats towards their lord. Berka and Luna didn't seem nearly so worried, but then, they had been in Hoshido for some time, and likely knew more of what to expect. “I was still rather new, so I wasn't quite sure what everyone was saying, but it seems there is a lot of ritual to their crowning ceremony.”

“The ceremony itself is a ritual, Camilla, that's kind of the whole point,” he shot back, but she shushed him with a playful smack to the shoulder.

“You know what I mean. It just seems so much more here,” He didn't say anything, but he did understand what she meant. Maybe it was the differences between the countries, maybe it was the worship of a different deity, but the ritualistic aspect of life in Nohr never seemed so pronounced. Whether that was because he had been raised in the environment remained to be seen, but he expected he was going to be lost during much of this event.

He could pick up murmurings, however, a fair bit spoken in standard. He wasn't quite sure if he was meant to hear these whisperings, or if the words were being hidden from those who didn't understand.

“Do you think he made it?”

“He answered the summons, how can he have made it back in time?” This man seemed particularly smug. “Hitoshi-san is the strongest in our clan, defeating the Prince now is only sure to guarantee our family a rise in prestige.”

The woman he was speaking too fanned herself. Her face was mostly hidden behind the intricately decorated paper, but her brow knot in a way that showed discontent below the drawn on eyebrows. “I've told you before, and I'll tell you again, there is no point in fanning the flames. If he didn't break when Mikoto-sama died, there's no way he's going to break now,” she sighed, and the dreamy quality of it made Leon nearly wretch. “Besides, wouldn't it be impressive if he managed to make it back in time?”

“Impossible,” the man scoffed. “The compound is days away by horseback. We left for the capital five days ago, and only just got here yesterday. Even if his steed was pushed to his limits, there's no way he could have made the journey and back, even if he won.”

“He could have used a pegasus, isn't Hinoka-hime a rider? Surely she'd allow him to use her mare.”

“Ha! As if that would help,” the man's arms crossed over his chest, a smirk clear in his expression. Leon had always grown up with stories about how steadfastly loyal the Hoshdans were to the wrong cause, and while he was old enough now to know that such harsh generalizations were incorrect at best, the blatant disrespect was something he expected more from his own nobles. “The prince is afraid of horses. Surely you remember that incident from when he was twelve?”

A man stepped from the shadows, tapping the overconfident man on his shoulder, and making him jump. The girl nearly shrieked, and the man's face, flush from embarrassment and anger paled out when he caught sight of who had disturbed him.

“It is not wise to speak ill of the Emperor on the crest of his enthronement,” the man's voice was deep, and thick with accent. Standard clearly wasn't his strong point, but then, Leon couldn't hear it clearly with the mask he was wearing covering his nose and mouth.

“S-speak ill? Why nonono!” The man slipped into Hoshidan after that, stammering away, but the redhead ignored him, and turned to Camilla instead.

“Hinoka-dono wished for me to make sure you made it to your seats without incident,” he said, addressing them both, Leon noticed now. Camilla nodded with a smile.

“Thank you, Saizou-san. Please tell Hi-kun that we have made it safely to our seats,” The man nodded, folding his arms into his deep red sleeves. He eyed Leon for a moment, then vanished like he had never been there in the first place.

“That was Saizou,” Camilla murmured to him, the Nohrian of her words sounding off next to the clearly Hoshidan name. “One of Ryouma's retainers,” Leon nodded, trying to ignore how the man had looked at him like he was the bane of his existence. He noticed his fingers going to fiddle with his helichrysum this time, and put a stop to it, setting his sights on the decorated hall ahead. Ryouma had been his enemy not too long ago, so any distrust was understandable. There was no reason he should worry about the opinion of one retainer. Instead he studied the layout of the room, the stands of people settled behind each row of guards, and the row down the center that led to an octagonal pavilion, draped with silks and crowned with what he assumed was a depiction of the Dawn Dragon. There was a simple wooden throne settled in the center of the pavilion, and two small stands to the left.

“Oh look!” Odin whispered, for once keeping an appropriate volume, even if his tone wasn't as deep as he usually made it. He sounded like an excitable kid. “It's starting!” The statement brought Leon's full attention to the space in front of him, his eyes scanning for any indication of where the start of this was to be. His eyes followed a carpet, lined with soldiers on either side, each brandishing a sword or a spear. There were drums sounding, in a beat he didn't recognize. The doors on the right opened, and the hall fell silent, except for the steady beating of drums.

A figure walked out. He was dressed in a deep violet, with a gold insignia stitched into the clothing. What Leon could only assume was a pair of poofy white pants could be seen poking out at the bottom of some sort of... Well, he wasn't sure what to call it. Some of the officials were wearing something similar, though nothing seemed as regal as the man before them, especially with the train of red fabric trailing behind him. “It's called a _hoeki no sokutai_ ,” his sister murmured to him, tripping over the words, but overall keeping down her quiet excitement. “Hi-kun told me once it used to be casual wear amongst the courts, but now it's considered to be the most formal form of dress they have,” she told him something else, something about their class structure, but Leon wasn't listening. He was instead looking for some sign of who this persona was. Their hair was pulled flat against their head and curled up in the back, and their face painted stark white with some form of make-up. What frustrated him was the lack of evidence. From his location, he couldn't tell if that was truly the emperor to be, or just Kamui dolled up to look like him.

He didn't have much time to dwell; as the figure made his way down the aisle, a procession formed behind him. First Princess Hinoka, dressed in formal armor reminiscent to what she actually wore in battle, a simple katana held in her grasp. Camilla cooed something about how adorable she was, but Leon was focused on the next to enter. Takumi was dressed in clothing similar to the first figure, only his were a bit simpler, without the train and a deep blue. His hair was adorned with simple flecks of color, and in his hands he held a personal mirror. Behind him trailed Saizou and a woman Camilla informed him was Kagero, Ryouma's second retainer. They were both dressed formally in rich shades of brown, and each held something so small he couldn't see what it was. Afterwards came Princess Sakura, dressed in what seemed like six different kimonos all at once. She was severely focused on carrying the small wooden sceptre she held in her hands and pointedly did not look at the crowds behind the royal guard. The last in the line was dressed similarly to Takumi, wearing a shade of yellow that didn't much suit him as a blue would have, his pale hair slicked back and held with a jade hairpin. His eyes did waver to the stands, and when he caught sight of Leon and Camilla, Kamui gave them a small smile before returning to his task.

“Looks like he made it,” Zero said from his spot next to Odin, the latter of whom was bouncing in his seat so much it looked like he was going to shoot straight out into the procession. Leon heard him, but only barely over the whispers of the nearby court officials and the sound of the beating of his own heart. He had to look back at the first in line, at Ryouma, and now he could see it; the broad set of his shoulders, the confident gait, the way he could command a room without so much as a word.

“Milord, you need to blink sometime,” Zero teased him, the Nohrian flowing off his tongue with the practiced ease of a lewd remark, and Leon made a show of rolling his eyes at him. His sister giggled, and he tried to ignore all of that and focus on the ceremony.

Below, Ryouma had taken a seat on the throne. Princess Hinoka and Takumi made a show of offering their specific item with a bow, receiving a nod in return, before placing them both on one of the two stands to his right. Takumi backed off the podium to stand at its base on the right side, whereas Hinoka stood on Ryouma's left, just behind the throne. Saizou and Kagero did the same, before settling their small objects on another stand, and taking their places at the base of the podium. From so far away, he had to guess they were imperial seals of some sort. Princess Sakura's offering went about the same, except that Ryouma accepted the sceptre with a bow in return, before she went to go stand next to Saizou. Last was Kamui, who stood before them all patiently. There was silence, for a moment, and then Ryouma spoke.

Leon hadn't much chance to hear Ryouma speak in Hoshidan; most of their meetings before this had been in peace talks and during his own coronation. There had been a few words when they had slipped into more casual talk, and the slight way certain letters seemed to be switched, but he hadn't the chance to listen to the language being spoken so fluently. Leon could hear how the people around him hung on he every word. He could catch a syllable here or there, but by their language's structure, he didn't quite know if he was actually understanding Ryouma's words or not. Regardless, it was nice to listen to.

“He's making an address to the public,” Camilla mumbled into his ear. “Well, to Kamui, but Kamui is supposed to represent the public; that's why he's wearing yellow.”

“What does yellow have to do with anything?”

“Remember how purple is supposed to only be for royals back home? Sort of like that, but with an entire social hierarchy behind everything.”

It sounded complicated, but he was sure typical Nohrian things that were natural to him and his sister seemed complicated to foreigners. Leon focused on Ryouma's voice, on how even when he didn't know what was being said, the tone of it was calming; made him hopeful. It was something he needed to learn, if he were ever going to be a good king for Nohr. His advisers said he was doing a marvelous job with what he had been given, but he knew that he came off as rather harsh, and it was much easier to draw bees with honey. Maybe Laslow could teach him a few things about charm before his departure. It would be better received than what Zero had suggested at any rate.

Ryouma's words came to a close, only for Kamui to start up in a response, also in Hoshidan, with a strong vibe of loyalty. He pushed down any jealousy, or bitterness that still lingered and told himself what he always did when thoughts of the war plagued him. He had made peace with Kamui choosing Hoshido over Nohr much too long ago to let it affect him negatively.

Kamui finished speaking, and Ryouma stood from the throne, walking to the edge of the podium, this time addressing the room around him. “I, Hoshido Ryouma, vow as Emperor, to uphold the values my mother represented so well,” He spoke so evenly... It felt natural. All Leon could think about was how many hours he'd spent revising and practicing his own speech. “Justice. Charity. Equality. And above all else... peace. Together, with the help of our people, our friends, our neighboring countries, we shall lead this world into a new age of prosperity!”

There was the ring of a bell, followed by several others in quick succession, each sounding more and more distant, before each Hoshidan called out in cheer.

“Banzai!” They cheered, even the naysayers beside them, caught in their own downtalk.

“Banzai!!” He heard his sister smile from beside him.

“Banzai!!!” Said both Odin and Zero, the former no longer capable of holding in his enthusiasm and the latter lazily accommodating. Strangely, it didn't sound so foreign in Odin's voice, as it did Zero's.

\----------

The ceremony came to a close with the newly recognized Emperor Ryouma leaving the throne and slowly walking about town, surrounded by his entourage. The emperor was whisked away so suddenly, Leon hadn't the chance to speak a word to him; something that made him a bit short with his annoyance. He'd snapped at Camilla when she teased him for his impatience, and while it had surprised her, she took his temper in turn, merely wishing him luck with a smile before wandering off to a small congregation of school children. They mobbed her almost instantly, and if it weren't for the faith he had in her abilities, or the fond smile on her face, he would have been worried.

As it was, there wasn't much that was expected of him. He talked a bit with some of the other dignitaries during a mid afternoon lunch, spoke with Fuuga from the Wind Tribe, and made small talk with Izana of Izumo. There were some people he didn't recognize,dressed in styles both similar and different to ones he'd seen before, and whose standard was heavily accented in dialects unfamiliar to him. Despite their own peculiarities, and the headache that was the language barrier, he liked to think he had made some good connections.

The evening took no time in descending upon the country, a wonder Leon marveled at every evening the sun colored the sky in shades of orange, violet, and red. The whole scene was beautiful; the only difference marking this evening, came from the extravagance of his company, and the sound of a gong ringing out across the grounds. “oh oh oh!” Izana jumped, his excitement clear. “It's starting!!”

“What's starting?” Leon asked, holding a cocktail weenie with a toothpick. Izana had offered it to him, and while he hadn't accepted it, per se, he didn't exactly know how to decline. The Hoshidan cuisine he'd encountered was nothing like this, and he still wasn't sure where the archduke had acquired something so... specific.

He said something that was clearly Hoshidan, then-- “The Passing Feast of the Early Dawn! Oh, I had heard they were going to skip it-- I simply must find a good vantage point. Keisuke!”

Before he knew what was happening, Leon was being whisked off by an excitable archduke, away from the crowds, and to a higher vantage point on the grounds. Vaguely, he wondered if all neighboring countries shared the same eccentricities, or if he should plan everything like he was part of a circus, before he was led out onto a balcony over viewing the surprisingly empty Hoshidan streets. Leon's eyes scanned his surroundings-- a habit leftover from the war-- when he spotted Zero and Odin loitering nearby. Zero made a vague hand gesture, one that no one but he and his retainers would recognize to let him know they could see him, and that they didn't see anything suspicious, and his amped up nerves relaxed.

“Oh It's been so long since this ceremony took place,” Izana chattered, completely ignorant to the scandal he could have caused. He wondered if all Hoshidan's were this carefree, or if it was just him. “I was too young to see Sume-kun's, and Miko-chan was supposed to be just a placeholder, so she didn't perform hers--” wait, what? “And what with the truce with Nohr and all, I thought this would be too stuffy a custom for them to continue; Nohrian's are much more secular than most Hoshidans are, you know-- oh silly me, but of course you know, you're their king!! Either way, I was just so sure I'd have to wait until Ryouma-kun's heir took over to really get to see this, but it's happening, right here and now, and I'm so excited!!!”

“Forgive my confusion,” Leon interjected, hoping Izana would take this opportunity to breathe, good lord. “But what is this that's happening? You called it the ‘Early Feast of Passing Dawn' or something?”

“‘Passing Feast of Early Dawn', yes,” Izana corrected, and Leon just knew that if the time ever called to intellectually put this man in his place, he would fail. Izana's self-confidence was simply too strong.

“And this is some religious ceremony?” He tried to clarify when it became obvious his kidnapper hadn't intended to explain further.

“Mm-hm,” he was perched up on the ledge of their balcony, his hand on his brow was he looked out into the distance for... something. “Ryou-kun's supposed to offer Akatsukinoryu-chan some food and sake that's been ritually purified from like, before they were planted, and then eat some himself to symbolize his communion with her,” Izana stood on his tiptoes, hanging halfway off the balcony. Leon wasn't sure what he should do if the man fell. “Waaayyyy back when, it was literally a way for the next ruler to become the Akatsukinoryu-chan herself. Honestly, it'd be way easier to just give birth to a kid who can already commune with the dragons,” he placed his hand over his heart and sighed dramatically. “but not everyone is capable of bearing the tremendous burden that it is to be me... Oh!”

Leon jumped at how fast he threw himself at the ledge, the handfuls of cloth he had in his grip the only thing keeping the archduke in the perimeters of the balcony, and not a pancake on the stone walkway below. “There he is, there he is!!” He was jumping excitedly, and Leon thought he felt his shoulder pop, but at least Leon wouldn't be charged with the murder of an international idiot. “Oh me, is that a _jōe_?” Leon had no idea what a _jōe_ was, but even if he did, he wouldn't be able to answer the eccentric man's question. He could see some figures, but the combination of distance and sunset lighting made it too difficult to pick out anything more than a few basic details. “Nonono, a _jōe_ is pure white, that's more an off white _kariginu_ , maybe _shironeri_? Traditional, but with it's own flair. I like it!”

Well, Izana was _apparently_ the expert on these things, so he'd just have to take his word for it.

\----------

The evenings in Hoshido descended swiftly, night swooping in to take place after a long day of ceremony. Leon was still reeling, lying flat on his futon and staring up at the ceiling. The moon had risen too far for him to see without a candle quite some time ago, and now he was just waiting for his late-night oriented mind to settle.

His sister had called him peeved when he'd returned from Archduke Izana's whirlwind grasp, and he supposed he had been. He still was, if he were being honest with himself, and with only his own mind and the nighttime air to bare witness, he could easily own up to it. Yes, he was peeved he had yet to speak to the Emperor, much as any dignitary would be when they traveled days with that specific goal in mind, only to be denied once they had arrived. The King in him understood that some things couldn't be helped, that tradition ran its fingers through Hoshido far deeper than it did at home, and so, certain expectations were to be expected-- but he was also a young adult, thrust into the limelight by the untimely death of his older brother with little time for his own emotions, so he let himself be frustrated. By all accounts, most considered him too young for everything he was taking on. Well, he was deciding right then and there that if he had to deal with that crap from the courts, he was aloud to throw a tantrum and eat his cake too.  
It was a bad analogy, but his internal clock said it was only just past midnight, and isolated with his own thoughts as he was, he found it increasingly difficult to give a fuck.

He closed his eyes for what felt like the fortieth time that evening. After what could have only been hours but was likely just ten minutes of waiting to be dragged head first into sleep, something caught his attention.

It was faint. In hindsight, he shouldn't have noticed anything at all, but the moon was full, and through his window he had a widespread view of the Hoshidan fields. Out in the distance, he could see lights, and a procession of people making their way slowly down the elaborate pathways that made up the gardens. They were headed to what seemed like two small huts out in an isolated field. He was curious, more curious under the veil of night then he ever dared to be out in the daylight. It was for this reason he went against his better judgement, and slipped out of his room, silent past the accommodations of his sleeping retainers, and into the very early morn.

His shoes were forgone, bare feet crushing the grass underneath as he made his way towards where he'd seen the huts. He was going to regret that later, but the added silence of not wearing shoes was optimal. It was quiet all around him, only the crickets to guide him in his journey. It just didn't make sense to him, Hoshidans were well known to rise early, and even those who stayed up late would rarely keep themselves from sleep past midnight. He'd studied the biology of it, knew that the presence of the sun caused most of this, which was why Nohrians, with their lack of direct sunlight, could stay up much much later, and those who woke early usually had obligations to fulfill, or saw their early bird tendancies as a source of personal pride. He'd had a tutor like that once. He may have started showing up late to his lessons out of spite, but he couldn't deny it led to his fond love of late mornings.

He came across a small ledge in a matter of half an hour of wandering the fields, keeping to the shadows out of habit, staying low so as to not be seen. The ledge looked over the huts almost perfectly, and he settled down, his body pressed to the grass so that should anyone look up, they would be hard pressed to see the top of his head peeking over the edge. The huts were simple, each of the pair consisted of a set of two rooms, that seemed to hold a small table in one of the rooms, and a recreational area in the other. There was food laid about, small portions set in a particular order in the second, but the first was empty. The tray that the food would have sat on was devoid of sustenance; but the cutlery, the bowls, the cups, the chopsticks, were all laid out as if the meal had been concluded. It made his brow furrow, because he knew he was missing something, but at this point, all he could do was chalk it up to ritual.

But who would be doing a ritual on the eve of the Emperor's coronation?

He didn't have long to wait. In the time he'd managed to quietly make his way through the fields, the procession had made its way slowly to the same destination. There was someone dressed in... he thought they might have been Hoshidan priest robes, but his lack of knowledge on Hoshidan garments left him unsure. All he knew was that they were full white, every inch, every layer, so bright that the moonlight seemed to make them glow. Two people dressed in dark fabrics moved in front of and behind him, simultaneously rolling out and rolling back up some sort of mat for the person to walk on. Yukimura, the only person he recognized, held a kind of umbrella over the priest, the canopy formed to look like the Dawn dragon, with some sort of thin fabric hanging off it's edges. There were others following behind, all dressed in pure white, all looking quiet, and solemn. There was the soft beating of a drum he could hear. The pace of the procession rung out with it, making Leon feel like he was watching something he shouldn't be.

The mat was rolled out to the front of the second hut, where the man-- he had to be a man, what with how high Yukumura was holding the umbrella-- stepped off, removed his shoes, and settled in front of the table of food. Several others, dressed in white and holding instruments settled in the second room of the hut, and began to play music with the simple instruments they had brought with them. The music itself was certainly not something Leon had ever heard before, though the distinct style seemed very traditional. Maybe he could research it over in Cyrkensia; they had a lot of dance and musical histories in their libraries, after all.

He watched as the man lit a small fire, lighting up the inside of the open building. One of the musicians did the same, before continuing with their piece, and since they only seemed to be playing, he focused on the man instead. He could see much more than he had been able to now that the umbrella wasn't covering him anymore, but it was dark, and he couldn't see much in the way of facial features. He was wearing an oddly shaped black hat, but other than that, there wasn't really anything of note. It was all very elegant, Leon admitted to himself. It made him regret not asking Takumi more questions within the past few days. Maybe Ryouma would be kind enough to answer them, if they ever got a chance to meet before his departure. Leon pressed the bitterness down and focused more on what was happening before him.

He thought the man was praying, not that he was close enough to hear anything, but that was what his assumptions led him to believe, and it was the only thing he could go with, so he decided to catalogue all the details and ask on them later for context. Like the way the Priest moved his arms when he undoubtedly said something, the way he took dishes and offered them to a small shrine with a dragon statue inside, offered every item before taking a bite to eat of them himself. This... didn't add up with what he knew about offerings in Hoshido. Another thing to ask about, he guessed.

This process went on for what must have been an hour or so before the food had all been eaten, and the candle blown out. The musicians' song came to an end, and they blew out their candle as well, before piling out of the building, and gathering with the rest of the priest's white clad entourage. The rolled mat was moved again, but this time the man stopped several feet away from the two buildings, the umbrella held high above his head. He must have said something, for there was a pause, and then the mat was rolled out towards the first hut. When he was two feet away, he lit a match, and threw it into the building.

Leon noticed several things while the building went up in flames. First off, this was clearly planned, if the lack of grass and the distance from the other hut was any indication. The second was that the man was moving off the rolled mat now, ushering those who held his rolled up mat away from the blaze and towards his entourage, who stood a safe distance away. He seemed a kind man, and the warm tones of the fire seemed to suit him a bit more than the ethereal whiteness of his clothing.

The third thing Leon only noticed when the man turned to Yukimura, and only then because he removed his hat, and handed it to the tactician. There had been a fat bun beneath the hat, the kind that he'd seen Elise use once during the hot summer to keep her back cool. But that wasn't what he noticed so much as what he did when the man took his bun out. Hair cascaded from it, thick and full, and in an artfully messy ponytail. He could see a smile, the features clear in the nearby firelight. His heart stuttered in his chest. This man was no priest.  
This man was Ryouma.

He watched with rapt attention as Ryouma moved about the crowd, speaking with everyone before he was caught yawning, and someone ushered him off towards the castle. He nodded, and moved, two figures stepping out of the shadows to accompany him. Leon recognized Saizou from his shock of red hair, so the woman, who he could only really see her silhouette of, must have been Kagero. She said something to Ryouma, his expression perking from tire to curiosity before he looked over in Leon's direction.

Leon pressed himself flat against the ground, keeping as low as possible, telling himself continually that he was too far to be lit by the fire, too hidden by the grasses to be seen, that Ryouma had admitted to him already to having terrible eyesight in the dark, so why did it feel like he was looking _right at him_ \--

But someone called his attention away, and he made an appeasing gesture, before he started walking back towards the castle. Leon waited for everyone to leave, waited until their attention was focused entirely on dismantling the second, not burning hut, before he took his leave, shuffling away until he could stand up without being seen.

He made it back to the castle tower without any more stress, his mind in overdrive as he looked around for his room, cursing his lack of distinction when it came to Hoshidan architecture. Gods, he felt like a child who'd only barely escaped being caught with their hand in the cookie jar. His heart wasn't racing anymore, his mind distracting himself with trying to make sense of everything he'd witnessed. It had been a ceremony of some sort, surely, but the details that made everything click eluded him. Was there a purpose to burning the first hut? And why did everything take place in the dead of night, when Hoshidan physiology clearly aligned more with daytime hours?

He'd go see if Takumi would take him to the library, if he didn't already know that the prince was likely passed clean out from exhaustion. He'd said so earlier he might even get a full night's sleep with how tired he was, and Leon didn't want to be the one to wake him from it. He remembered trying to wake Kamui enough to know it would be a fruitless venture unless he was either dying, or chocolate was involved, so that wasn't an option, and he didn't need Camilla knowing what he was doing. She hadn't gotten a chance to ask about what she must have clearly heard Zero insinuating, and while there was a 20/80 chance she actually believed it, she wouldn't hold back on teasing him about it in private, and he didn't want to give her any chance for that for at least long enough that maybe something will distract her from it before he had to return to Nohr.

Someone said something nearby. The sound of a door opening accompanied the voice, and Leon was immediately back on edge, eyes frantically searching for something to tell him where he was so he knew where to go. There was nothing distinct about the paper walls. The floor was all smooth wood, he could hear footsteps headed his way, and he did not want to cause an international incident because he snuck out, saw some forbidden Hoshidan ritual, and couldn't find his way back because everything looked the goddamn same.

The voice halted, and Leon turned, eyes locking immediately with Ryouma's. He stood at the mouth of the hallway Leon was currently lost in, still dressed in his ritual finery, but with his hair let out behind him. It looked touchably soft in the moonlight, and if his heart wasn't trying to beat its way out of his chest, he would have taken the time to dispute this thought properly.

They were silent for what felt like years, before Ryouma smiled, and waved at him a little bit. Leon blinked at him. Why wasn't he being questioned? _Leon_ would have questioned someone in the exact same position if he were home in his castle, it only made sense. Normally there would be rows upon rows of lies, or half truths he could turn out, words he could use to manipulate himself into the man's favor, but for some reason, everything came to a halt in his head. He didn't want to lie to Ryouma, but he didn't quite know how the man would handle the truth.

What surprised him was that Ryouma said nothing at all, merely pointed down the hallway, counting three on his other hand so Leon could see it, before pointing to the right. Was he... telling him how to get back? To his rooms? How did he even know where he was staying? He was about to ask, but Ryouma put his finger up to his lips, and Leon immediately stopped. The emperor waved at him, before turning his head to look behind him and saying something. A voice he recognized as Saizou's responded, and Leon took to making himself scarce, pressing himself up against one of the walls, trying hard not to lean too much on it so he didn't fall through.

Saizou came into view, peering into the hallway, but Ryouma caught his attention again before he could catch sight of Leon. They made their way down the hall, their footsteps quiet against the night, and only when he thought he was entirely safe, did Leon head down the hallway, passing two junctions, before making a right on the third one, and finding himself at his rooms. Zero sat reclined against one of the posts that opened out into the nearby courtyard, and smiled at him as he approached. 

“For milord to be returning so late, his rendezvous must not have gone according to plan,” He whispered, his voice gravely in its depth, and making Leon roll his eyes, but nothing more. He was attempting to be quiet, which was more than enough at the moment. “Odin knows, though. I figured you would prefer him not trying to search for you.”

Well that was just peachy. “I wasn't aware you both made a habit of watching me in my sleep,” He grumbled, slipping into his room, and closing the door. It caught on Zero's hand, but Leon ignored it, just going about getting back in his futon. Now that his little adventure was over, he was noticing just how much his feet hurt. He hoped he wasn't developing calluses, he moisturized too much to let one evening of carelessness ruin all that.

“Not watching you milord, more making sure you sleep at all. Or not,” Zero winked at him, an action Leon had only come to know because he tilted his head a bit when he did it. It annoyed Leon to no end, but every time he pointed out the action was impossible for him, he'd just do it again.

“Good _night_ , Zero,” he said, pulling the covers over him and hoping his retainer would take that as a hint to go back to sleep. There was a moment of silence, before he heard the door close. He didn't hear any footsteps, but he hadn't expected to, and without the distraction, his mind wandered to the ceremony he'd seen; to how simple, yet intricate, Ryouma's robes had been up close, to how soft he seemed in white. Leon thought he looked better in red, but that was as far as his thoughts got before he fell into the slumber that had eluded him hours ago.

\----------

Morning was a blissfully late affair, interrupted by a rapid knock, and followed by Odin talking him awake. His words were difficult to decipher so proportionally early in the morning, so he just let him prattle on. Most likely, he'd gone off into a monologue about his own darkness. Leon only knew this because the poses he made when he did so were in a particular order, and right now, he was watching them move, and counting them off in his head. His retainer made it to thirteen before he was awake enough to deal with anything.

“In summary?” He asked after a yawn, causing Odin to halt, stare at him for half a second, then shift focus entirely.

“Your imperial presence had been called forth!” Leon was handed a small, handwritten letter. “No doubt you are being summoned to the royal chambers, where you will greet the Emperor in all his regality, second only to your own!” The letter was indeed from Ryouma. It had a sort of calligraphic appearance to it that was different from how Nohrian's wrote their alphabet, but it was nice to look at.

> _Leon,_
> 
> __
> 
> __
> 
> _I hope your trip so far has been enjoyable, and that my people have been accommodating. I apologize for my absence, and wish to speak with you privately at your nearest convenience. I will be in the gardens for most of the day, however if you cannot find me, ask Hinoka where I may have wandered off. She has a strong intuition in regards to where I will likely be, and can direct you to my location.  
>  _
> 
> __
> 
> __
> 
> __
> 
> _Yours,_  
>  _Ryouma_

The capitals had curves to them that indicated that either Ryouma's written standard had been learned from a cursive script, or he was practicing one. There was a loop on the L of his own name that he found rather charming, as far as letters go.

“Thank you, Odin,” Leon said as he stood, going about putting together his clothing for today. The informality of the letter suggested he dress more casual, so he pulled together a variation of what he usually wore when he was without guests at home. It was comfortable, and the routine of putting them on distracted him enough from the emotions that were plaguing him. Thinking of the letter's informality wouldn't help him in the slightest. He collected himself in his movements before attempting to address Odin without giving himself away.

“Where's Zero? This is just the sort of thing he'd like to hand over to me,” or rather, rub in his face. For all his loyalty, Zero could be a real pain in the ass.

Odin struck a pose. “Nay, he has been called forth to a battle most fierce!” He transitioned into another one seamlessly, telling a story in the way he moved. Leon, not for the first time, wondered if he had a background in theatre. “Tsubaki of the Amaranth Groves has challenged him to a battle of wits and war! Spear, bow, sword, there is nothing they will not conquer to prove who is superior!”

“A contest, then.”

Odin stood for a moment, kind of crouched, with his body twisted away and his face covered by his hand. The other arm outstretched towards nowhere, before he returned to a proper standing position. “Yeah. Luna got roped into judging with Lord Takumi's retainers.”

“You'll have to watch it for me, then. I'll be away all day on business, and I want to know the outcome.”

“Right away milord!” He cheered, racing out of the room, before backtracking to peak through the open door. “Also, milord, your shirt is inside out. You might want to flip it,” he said before disappearing, and Leon looked down, before cursing to himself. Well, at least Odin had been the one to catch it, and not literally anybody else.

Fashion disaster averted, he turned to his luggage and felt his hand along the lining. There was a small satchel inside, something that he held in his hand to look over for any blemishes. It had been well protected in its hiding spot, and now it weighed heavily in his hand. Part of him said to put it back, but the other part of him, the part that was quiet, but much _much_ more stubborn, slipped the pouch into the folds of his shirt. He had a small pocket on the inside of it, where it could rest easily without showing.

Now that that was taken care of, he made his way towards the gardens, enjoying the cool breeze that came with the hot summer sun. He usually wore some form of mage's gloves with this, but the blistering heat had driven him to go without, and one less black fabric was heavenly. The garden had a lot of tree canopies that filtered light down onto the stone pathways, which gave him some reprieve from the relentless sun. He didn't know were in the gardens to start looking, so he just picked a direction and walked.

He didn't have to wander very far. Sitting near a pond Leon had overlooked the last time he had gotten lost in this maze, dressed in a matte gold color with a maroon waist tie and matching jacket was Ryouma, legs crossed before him, and his hair tied up in a high ponytail. Even held back it was a wild mess, and Leon decided that if he was going to admire the man in any fashion, it would be with his eyes, and not by reaching out to see what it felt like. That could end very badly, and he didn't want to cause another war just because he couldn't keep his hands to himself.

“Emperor Ryouma,” He said, and Ryouma turned, warm brown eyes spotting him before his expression melted into an equally warm smile. “You summoned me?”

“I suppose I have,” he said, standing from his spot, and straightening out the wrinkles in his, what were they called, _yutaka_? before turning to him. “How was your trip? I would have asked when you arrived, but I was otherwise preoccupied.”

“So I heard,” he followed Ryouma out onto the path, no fear of getting lost in the winding floral masterpiece the gardens had shown themselves to be. It was daytime, for one, and he found it at least a little bit easier to orient himself. Although, he wouldn't mind getting losing his way this time around. “My trip was uneventful. I got turned around somewhere in these very gardens looking for Takumi, and one of the retainers here rubs one of mine the wrong way, but that isn't of any consequence but his own,” The flowers were in bloom around them as they walked. He thought they were lilies, but flowers had never been his strong point. Too few of them in scattered pockets across Nohr had given him little to take interest in. He'd need a well documented text if he was to decipher the surrounding blooms. “I heard you had to accept some kind of challenge?”

“Yes,” Ryouma sighed, shaking his head with ire. The smile dripped away from his expression, and Leon caught sight of just how tired Ryouma looked. The bags under his eyes were not as pronounced as Xander's had ever been, but they were noticeable if you knew what you were looking for. “Ever since the war's end, I've been flooded with challenge after challenge. They're not difficult to deal with, mostly an annoyance from samurai who think one family technique is enough to topple all my lineage has strived to build.”

“I'd think the populace would have understood if a challenge was placed specifically to cause a hindrance. Hoshidans seem much more accepting of circumstance than most of the nobles I have to deal with.”

“Those of the capital, perhaps,” His hand went to rub at the nape of his neck, a motion Leon had noted as common amongst the Hoshidans, or maybe just the royal family, as a sign of embarrassment. Takumi did it, Kamui did it. “Some of the more rural provinces tend to view things a bit differently... I knew full well I was cutting it close, but...” he mumbled something in Hoshidan, a little under his breath like he was trying to make sense of his words. “... I guess, in a way, it all comes down to pride. They wanted to throw me for a loop, and I wasn't going to let them.”

“Yes, well, you certainly seemed well organized at the ceremony.”

“Yuugiri-san pushed her kinshi to her limits to get me home in time, I couldn't let her sacrifice be in vain.”

“How late were you?”

“A good twenty minutes. I had to be literally pinned into my _bunkan sokutai_. Thought it was going to fall off every other step.”

“Did you win the challenge?”

“Oh, absolutely.”

Despite the conflict having nothing to do with him, Leon felt his lips curl to match the smugness making itself comfortable in his chest. Ryouma was no pushover. He'd never personally fought him, but he had spoken with several soldiers who had; several who could recall to the letter the devastation that could be left behind the Hoshidan's path... and even more telling his willingness to help those who had fallen to his blade. It may have been small, but that itself would be of immense help in bridging the gap between the two nations.

“So,” he was pulled from his musings, and turned his attention back to Ryouma. “This is your first time in Hoshido, yes? What do you think?”

He thought of the landscape, of the spiraling cities and the easy trust the majority of the people had towards each other. He thought of the elaborate ceremonies, the expectations the royal family was held to, the food. He thought of his sister, of the childlike wonder he had never seen cross her face, and had never expected to see after the incident with her eye. “Its unlike anything I've ever seen,” he said at last. “Everything is so... elaborate. I must admit I'm a bit overwhelmed by everything I've seen these past couple of days. Your enthronement, for example, was quite...”

“Quite?”

“Distinct. I wouldn't have expected ceremony to play so high a role. Hoshidans have always seemed more laid back to me,” Which was to say, the stereotypes he'd learned as a kid were that they had once been held by strict religious convictions that gave way to an era of godless laziness. Even before his visit he knew this wasn't the case, that this portrait was likely painted during times of tension to try and unify Nohr for the war-- but it was one thing to know, intellectually that something was wrong and to see and experience it with his own eyes.

“Religion shouldn't be something you should have forced upon you,” Ryouma said, walking towards a large tree, and taking a seat beneath it. He thought that maybe it was a maple, but was distracted by the rather nice way the breeze could reach them as he took a seat in the grass beside the man. “My mother thought that, and so did my father to some degree. It was one reason why she didn't do all of the formal ceremonies when she came to the throne, despite the overwhelming reliance on... I'm not sure how to translate, exactly, but on the concept of the Dawn Dragon and her connection to the royal family. However, I am very young compared to both of my parents. Many have fought that I am too inexperienced to take on the mantle of emperor, and it should be delegated by someone else until I can grow into the role.”

“Ah. So this was all a passive aggressive action to show them just who holds all the pieces, so to speak,” he chuckled a little bit. “I must say, you don't strike me as particularly cunning.”

“That's because I'm not,” Ryouma's laugh was deep, but lighthearted. It came in short, breathy sort of sound, followed by two short beats of his voice. His head bent down to meet the knuckles of his hands, almost as if he were trying to hide the quirk of his lips from view. Leon could see a small flash of teeth, for just a quick second, and it was enough to distract him from the jittery way his fingers fiddled with a sleeve, with the detailing on his pants, anything.

He couldn't even lie to himself at this point, he was staring and it was taking all he had to keep that observation to himself.

“It was Yukimura's idea to perform all three ceremonies. The only passive aggressive thing I did was insist your attendance.”

“Oh?” He felt his pulse speed up for half a second. “Is _that_ why I received half a dozen invitations, then; because you were being childish.”

“Most of the samurai who have anything to say about the truce between our countries seems to think your father's actions are proof enough of your intent to ruin our country,” Ryouma shrugged, and if Leon wasn't adept in reading people, he would have missed the mischief in that shrug. “I just couldn't be sure they were delivering the invitations properly and not burning them just to spite me. Just like I honestly couldn't be sure certain you were being properly welcomed in a guest room outside of Shirasagi castle.”

Leon had to hold back laughter than that. A little bit slipped out, breathy wisps against the hot Hoshidan air, but he held the rest back with a hand to his eyes for good measure. “That explains why I didn't see any other nobles about. I _had_ assumed I was being given special treatment of some sort, though I thought that was Camilla's doing.”

“Well, she was certainly in approval of the idea,” Ryouma contended, nodding sagely as if he hadn't just admitting to allowing someone he barely knew onto the inner castle grounds just to spite his naysayers. One one hand, Leon could see where they were coming from. All they knew of him was his battle proficiency, and the loyalty he had shown his father while King Garon had still been on the throne. It was only natural to be wary of such a person, and yet, the fact that he'd been brought inside, to where most nobles didn't get to see... 

If he was interpreting Ryouma's words right, it wasn't something that happened, usually. Camilla was a permanent guest, and with her ties to princess Hinoka, she likely had other forces working for her to get her a spot inside. Ryouma wasn't stupid, either, and besides that, he was incredibly prideful. The fact that Leon held enough of the man's trust to be allowed entrance to the one place the royal family let their guard down was a blissful amount of free reign. He couldn't recall a time anyone had placed that much faith in him.

“Ah, so you turned it into a necklace.”

“Hm?” His attention snapped forward, mostly focused on how Ryouma's accent showed through on ‘necklace', a passing thought to the excessive vowels he heard, to what little his sister had tried to teach him about the language in the time he'd been here, and how charming it was, coming from him. Ryouma pointed to his chest, bringing to light the helichrysum pendant that would be settled below his sternum if it weren't for his fingers holding it tight and passing it between the four of them and his thumb.

It was about then that he noticed the heat, prickling beneath even the thinnest layer of cloth. Leon went to wipe the sweat from the back of his neck, only to find it dry, so he just rubbed at the skin a moment as a distraction. Ryouma seemed focused on the pendant, work calloused fingers brushing against his own and making the heat intensify. He was blushing, but Ryouma seemed blissfully unaware of it, which was quite the feat. Camilla had told him on more than one occasion that his face was the kind to light up like he was in the middle of a bad romance novel. “I was not sure what you were going to do with it when I gave it to you, but I'm glad you've found it a purpose,” He didn't know if he should chalk it up as obliviousness or kindness on Ryouma's part that he didn't mention it, and focused instead on the subtle scent of sandalwood and... something else, something earthy on his skin.

But then, Ryouma pulled back, retreating from Leon's personal space, and Leon argued with himself over whether this was a good thing or not. “It wasn't heavy enough for a paperweight,” he shrugged, as if using a coronation gift as jewelry was commonplace. “And I wasn't going to just shove it in a drawer somewhere. It's the first gift between our countries after this terrible war. It's symbolic, if anything,” He fiddled with it a moment, before taking a deep breath, and reaching into the folds of his shirt and pulling out the small sachet he'd stored there earlier.

Ryouma didn't ask what it was, but he was watching him. The curiosity was easy to see, and he wasn't sure if the lack of questions was a help to his courage, or a hindrance.

“Here,” he said, handing it over. Ryouma took it carefully in his hands, examining the blue pouch before his fingers worked at the cords tying it closed. “A gift, to celebrate your enthronement.”

The pendant fell into Ryouma's hand. It was small, about two inches in diameter and made of clear resin, with a bloom in the center. “It's a cornflower,” He informed, watching as Ryouma's fingers ran across the smooth surface. There was a wire bracket woven around it, with a loop at the top for the cord to slip through. “Nohr's national flower.”

The significance dawned on Ryouma, and he nodded, though his eyes were still on the pendant. Ryouma had given him Hoshido's national flower, so it made sense for Leon to return the favor. “Does it have a meaning?”

“Wealth, prosperity, fortune,” He fiddled with his cuffs, the fabric slipping between his fingers easily. He was trying to gauge Ryouma's reaction, but the longer he went without any sort of emotional substance, the more Leon's anxiety began to spike. He'd start checking off lists, but he found there wasn't anything of the kind left for him to go over. Ryouma was turning it around in his fingers, and Leon wondered if this was what he looked like when he looked at his helichrysum in private.

“Ah,” he said after a moment, and Leon felt himself freeze. “I see a bit of red in here...”

Oh god, he'd found it. “Mm, it's a different flower,” He said, looking away from Ryouma, but only for a moment. “Just a petal. It fell in during the casting,” He didn't know if he was trying to brush it off, or bring attention to it, but either way his own obviousness was driving him up the wall.

“What kind of petal?” _Oh götter._

“Rose,” _Oh zwelicht, oh dämmerung._

“What's that one mean?”

“We have a lot of them around,” _Love, it means love._ “It's not perfect, but I hope you'll accept it as a token of--” _affection_ “-- friendship,” He looked up from his lap to find Ryouma's eyes on him, and the second they met, he couldn't look away. He felt caught in his half-lie and licked his lips, a nervous habit he'd thought he had dropped when he was ten. They were silent. The tension thick, the space between them suddenly too close and not close enough all at once. Ryouma's mouth opened, poised to say something--

"Ah, Ryouma-dono! There you are,” Yukimura stood a small space away, every step closer releasing the tension off Leon like steam in a sauna. “King Leon, good morning,” His standard was proficient, so Leon responded in kind, nodding his acknowledgement to mirror the action the tactician had performed, pulling himself to his feet next to Ryouma, who was already standing. “I hate to interrupt you so soon, but Saiou-sama demands he speak with you and will not take no for an answer.”

Ryouma sighed, his posture sagging, and the tire draping itself across his shoulders to match his jacket. Leon wished he could relieve Ryouma of this weight, even for a moment... but he wasn't sure how. “Then I will see him. Tell me, which quarters were prepared for him this time?”

“He requested use of the eastern rooms upon his arrival, as per usual. However they were already occupied, so the northern quarters were made up for him.”

“Watanabe?”

“Tanaka.”

“Ah. Prepare an unoccupied receiving room, then.”

“The one by the training hall, or the one across the southern fields?” Yukimura was an agreeable type, but something about his tone made Leon think of the backhanded way some of his father's staff had asked certain questions. Yukimura knew the answer already; the question was only posed out of formality.

“Fields,” Ryouma said, looking up from the pendant in his palm before tucking his hands into his sleeves. “If he insists on talking politics on my day of rest, then he will have to walk off some of that weight he's gained sitting on his ass while the rest of us were at war.”

“Very well, Ryouma-dono,” Yukimura bowed, a pleasant smile on his face. “I will prepare the room for audience immediately.”

“See that you do. Oh, and Yukimura-san?” Yukimura righted himself, nodding in a way that showed he was listening. “Could you acquire me some _kumihimo_ supplies? In, mm... I'm not sure just yet, bring a variety. I need a cord made, and I might as well braid it while he rants. Enough to make one of decent length, Saiou will need the time to let loose all of that hot air of his.”

“Of course. I'll have the materials delivered before your arrival.”

“ _Arigato gozaimasu_ ,” He turned back to Leon, making no secret to how disappointed he was. “It seems we'll have to cut our meeting short. How much longer are you here for?”

“Not long,” Leon said, still a little thrown that Ryouma wasn't only going to wear the pendant he'd made, but that he was going to braid the rope for it _himself_. “I depart in two days.”

“We will have to make the most of that time then. Perhaps after dinner? I'd make it a more private affair, but my siblings have seen just as little of me as you have these past three days, and that needs to be remedied.”

“After dinner sounds fine,” the buzzing was back, moving about his stomach before coming to rest in his chest cavity.

“Good,” Ryouma nodded. “After dinner, then,” Leon watched him turn, walk up the path and into the sun, before he looked back over his shoulder. He was radiant in the sunlight; Leon could see tones of red in his hair that he hadn't seen before. “Oh, and remind me to explain the _Hayaoki Ohbanfurumai no Souten_ to you. It might clear up some things you weren't able to figure out on your own. That ledge you were hiding out on doesn't make for a good vantage point so early in the morning.”

Ryouma's smile was thick with mischief before he turned his back to Leon, and continued on his way. Leon watched him go, speechless, before rubbing the embarrassment out of his face with both hands. Looks like he hadn't been as sneaky as he'd thought.

He took stock of his reactions there, standing beneath the tree, a soft breeze cooling him every so often. It was crazy just how receptive he was being to all of this. If these reactions had been coming from anyone else, he would have called them a lovesick fool. What a mess. Was it the environment, or maybe something else? Maybe the foreign pollen was messing with his head.

But even that sounded like a horrible fabrication to his ears, his own desperation reaching out for some logical cause for all of this that didn't leave a bitter taste on the tongue. The way he had conveniently forgotten how to assert his personal space when Ryouma had been so close, even for such a small amount of time was all the proof he needed. But then, of course he'd fallen into this mess. Ryouma was charismatic as all hell, and Leon wasn't doing a damn thing to resist it; hadn't been since the man had gifted him with the helichrysum back at his own coronation.

He was the King of Nohr, doomed to a life of pining for a man on the other side of the continent, and he knew it. For all intent and purpose, this was a bad thing, but he couldn't bring himself to mind all that much.

Leon sighed, looking around at the scenery, and trailing back the way Ryouma had taken him. He was only now realizing how hungry he was, and the smell of food was all too inviting. In the distance, over the hill he could see a great fire burning where the huts from last night had once stood. Camilla had mentioned something about three more days of feasting the last time they had spoken. She'd seemed excited about it, so he headed down to where food was being cooked in search of her. He'd be leaving in two days, and since she wasn't coming with him, he should spend what time he could with her before responsibility returned him to Castle Krackenburg, and all the treachery and drama that came with ruling a country such as Nohr.

But on the bright side, he had plans after dinner tonight; and Ryouma had expressed remorse over not being able to have dinner itself be a more private affair. He wasn't the type to be optimistic, but something about their interactions, as few as they had been, made him wonder if the pining would be as one sided as he'd thought it would be all those months ago when he'd set out to preserve that damn cornflower in the first place. 

Maybe there was hope for him yet. But then, even in his optimism, Leon was realistic. He'd just have to wait and see.

> _“It's a helichrysum,” Ryouma's tone was firm, and his gaze steady, but Leon kept noticing things, like how his fingers would twitch with impatience, how he'd smoothed out the folds of his clothes three times over when there were no creases to be seen. Leon knew how to read people better than most people could read books, and the Crown Prince of Hoshido, for all his put together appearance, was... at the very least, distracted. “The imperial flower of the royal family. It's not much, but the other flowers I would have chosen to represent our growing bond was too difficult for me to paint.”_
> 
> _“Oh?” A gift? Talk of their nations was one thing, but only his retainers and close family had given him anything to celebrate his ascension to the throne. “And what would that be?”_
> 
> _“Gardenia, morning glory,” He shrugged, his accent thick on the words. “Sunflower. Unfortunately, these hands of mine don't do well on anything but traditional calligraphy.”_

His calculations were flawless, after all-- and from his vantage point, the probability of possibility just kept rising.

**Author's Note:**

> Weichlieb -- Camilla's Wyvern. german for soft loving via google translate  
> Widogast -- Leon's horse. From the ancient Germanic _widu_ , meaning "wood" and _gast_ , meaning "stranger, guest"
> 
> götter -- German, "Gods"  
> zwelicht -- German, "Twilight"  
> dämmerung -- German, "Evening"
> 
> Akatsukinoryu -- the dawn dragon  
> hoeki no sokutai; bunkan sokutai -- <http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/garb/garb.ch02.html#bunkan-sokutai>  
> jōe -- <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C5%8De>  
> kariginu -- <http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/garb/garb.ch01.html#kariginu>  
> shironeri -- <http://www.the-noh.com/en/plays/data/detail_049.html>
> 
> Hayaoki Ohbanfurumai no Souten -- "Early Feast of the Passing Dawn". It's part of the Hoshidan crowning ceremony. If you were to line it up with the Enthronement of the Japanese Emperor, it would be the Daijo-sai. No source because I just sort of cobbled characters together to make pretty words
> 
> Japanese flower meanings were taken from <http://www.hana300.com/aakotoba.html>


End file.
